Results from a lake-sediment survey completed in the Lac des Iles-Black Sturgeon River area, about 100 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, has identified 46 areas with significantly higher-than-normal concentrations of a number of precious metals, including platinum, palladium and gold, as well as base metals such as copper, nickel and zinc. Many of these geochemical anomalies occur in areas that are open for staking.
The Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) announced the survey results on Sept. 3.
“The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines has been analysing lake sediments for platinum-group elements (PGEs) with great success,” said OGS geoscientist Richard Dyer. “The Lac des Iles geological structure hosts Canada’s only primary PGE mine. The strong presence of these mineral indicators in the region suggests excellent potential for similar mineralization.”
This lake-sediment geochemical survey is one of more than two dozen ongoing field projects investigating Ontario’s geology and mineral potential.